International College of Prosthodontists (ICP)

Communication and cooperation between prosthodontists is as old as the specialty itself. While groups of countries had formed prosthodontic societies, the need for a worldwide organization was generally recognized. Answering this call, the American College of Prosthodontists appointed a special sub-committee under the chairmanship of Jack Preston.

In November 1982, the British Dental Association (Metropolitan Branch) arranged an International Prosthodontic Symposium under the chairmanship of Harold Preiskel. At an informal session before the meeting, colleagues from more than 24 countries expressed enthusiasm and promised support for the establishment of an international organization to represent prosthodontics. The degree of commitment expressed by all at this meeting surprised even the organizers. A steering committee, appointed to investigate the feasibility of setting up an international organization, was composed of members from seven countries: Sweden (Bo Bergman), Australia (Lloyd Crawford), the U.K. (the late Rowland Fereday, William Murphy, Harold Preiskel), Japan (Makoto Matsumoto), the U.S.A. (Jack Preston), Switzerland (Peter Scharer), and Canada (George Zarb).

Despite the problems of widely differing time zones and the considerable cost involved, communication between members was established and maintained. During this initial phase, the outline plans for the organization were established, and the first meeting of the steering committee took place in October 1984 at a hotel near Heathrow Airport. It was attended by Rowland Fereday, Harold Preiskel, Jack Preston, Peter Scharer, and William Murphy. A telephone conference link was arranged with Lloyd Crawford in Australia. The group unanimously agreed to name the organization "The International College of Prosthodontists": "college" to describe a group engaged in a common pursuit, and "prosthodontists" (rather than "prosthodontics") to distinguish the members as specialists. The aim of this college was to be academic rather than social. "Prosthodontics" was understood to encompass the disciplines of fixed and removable as maxillofacial prosthetics. The organization's goal was to become truly international; the establishment of the specialty in all parts of the world would strengthen each individual section and confirm universally, that prosthodontists are specialists.

Mission:
The International College of Prosthodontists internationally promotes the specialty and discipline of prosthodontics.